By Ogu Bundu Nwadike
The period, May 29, 2011 and May 29, 2019 remains in the history of Imo State when the local government system and administrations were totally relegated to the background, suppressed and shut down by the governor of the time, Rochas Okorocha.
Conversely, the period May 29, 2019 till date since the assumption of office of the current governor, His Excellency, Emeka Ihedioha, , the local government system and administration have been restored. That’s a major achievement of the RebuildImo administration in the first 100 days in office.
Under the dark 3,500 days of Ex-governor Rochas Okorocha, the business of the local government areas was literally closed down without any reason other than to reflect and manifest the feudal leadership mindset of the ex-governor.
His major aim for subjugating and stifling the local government system and administration was for the ex-governor to superintend over the allocations accruing to the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) estimated at about N500 billion from May 29, 2011 to May 29, 2019. Sadly, in spite of the ex-governor’s much mouthed desire to transform the LGAs, the ex-governor neglected them and the rural population that the third tier of government was designed to cater for.
Since the coming of Gov. Ihedioha, however, and the fulfillment of his electioneering campaign promise of granting the LGAs autonomy, they have been enjoying their constitutional right of running independently with constitutionally stipulated routine oversight by the State Government.
The result is that every kobo accruing to the 27 LGAs is managed by the 27 LGAs respectively. This has manifested in the achievement being recorded by the LGAs genuinely bringing government closer to the grassroots people in the autonomous communities, wards and villages.
For once again since 2011, the Council, comprising the Chairman and the Councillors, sits over issues, deliberate on them and arrive at a decision before appropriating funds for programmes and projects that will directly impact positively on the people of the LGAs.
Previously, under the ruinous rule of Ex-governor Rochas Okorocha, there was no LGA Council in the real sense of LGA Council. What existed was a rubber stamp “find me something” kind of Transition Committee (TC) system that had mind or bite of its own.
It was the ex-governor that determined everything that happened in the LGAs. He gave less than 10% of the total revenue accruable to the LGAs whenever he deemed necessary. Thereby, the LGAs were neglected to rot and decay in departments by the then governor, Rochas Okorocha.
Today, however, it is a new dawn with a new story. The LGAs receive 100% of the revenue due them from the Federation Account. Today, the respective LGAs are embarking on various projects. Some have turned the soil for the construction of suitable LGA Secretariats that will provide more conducive offices for staff of the LGAs that hitherto, under Rochas’ rogue regime, made the corridors of the available small administrative buildings their offices.
.Nwadike is the Special Assistant on Research to the Governor of Imo State
